Hedwiges Maduro

On 9 August 2018, Maduro announced his retirement through a short video on Twitter.

On 20 July 2017, the 32-year-old Maduro signed a two-year contract with Cypriot First Division side AC Omonia for an undisclosed fee, arriving from FC Groningen. He made his debut on 10 September in the season opener, a 2–1 home win against Ethnikos Achna FC.

In February 2015, nursing a hand injury, Maduro requested a leave of absence and visited his former club Ajax. After being linked to Feyenoord, his contract expired and both parties agreed to part ways.

On 2 January 2014, it was announced that Maduro would sign with Greece's PAOK FC for two and a half years. The deal was confirmed five days later.

In the semi-finals against England (1–1 after 120 minutes) Maduro successfully converted his penalty shootout attempt, as Holland won it 13–12 after 32 shots. The Dutch went on to retain their 2006 title by beating Serbia 4–1 in the final, and he was named in the 'UEFA Team of the Tournament'.

On 5 June 2012, Sevilla FC announced on their official website the signing of Maduro on a free transfer. He turned down a contract extension at Valencia, and also had an offer from FC Spartak Moscow who had just hired his former boss Emery, finishing his debut season in Andalusia with 30 games all competitions comprised to help the side to the ninth place, in spite of being diagnosed with a heart condition in the previous summer.

Maduro spent the vast majority of 2011–12 on the sidelines, nursing a serious ankle injury.

In his first full season in Spain, Maduro started playing a small role, a situation which was created after his late return from the 2008 Summer Olympics. However, new coach Unai Emery eventually awarded him minutes due to injuries and suspensions, and he performed well in various positions, including right-back. On 25 April 2009 he scored his first competitive goal for the club, netting from a corner kick to make it 1–1 against FC Barcelona in an eventual 2–2 home draw; with the team finally finishing in sixth position he made more than 30 appearances during the campaign, in spite of facing stiff competition from the likes of Alexis or Carlos Marchena, as only Raúl Albiol was an undisputed starter in the back-four sector.

He spent several seasons in La Liga, mainly with Valencia where he appeared in 113 competitive games and won the 2008 Spanish Cup. He also competed professionally in Greece and Cyprus.

In mid-January 2008, after helping Ajax to the third consecutive Johan Cruijff-schaal, Maduro joined Valencia CF, in a four-and-a-half-year deal worth €3 million – compatriot Ronald Koeman was the team manager. His La Liga debut came late in the month a 0–1 home loss against UD Almería, and he started in all 11 matches he played in his first year, but the Che could only finish tenth even though they won the Copa del Rey, with the player being an unused substitute in the final against Getafe CF (Koeman had already been fired at that point).

In 2007, despite already having amassed 12 senior caps, Maduro took part in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship which was held in the Netherlands, and scored the competition's first goal when the Jong Oranje beat Israel 1–0. He also played in the second match, a 2–1 win against Portugal which secured a semi-final spot and qualification to the Olympic tournament.

Maduro was born in Almere, Flevoland. At AFC Ajax he was voted as the Amsterdam club's brightest emerging talent in the 2003–04 season, and made his Eredivisie debut in the following campaign, his debut in the competition coming against Roda JC on 27 February 2005 in a 2–1 away win.

Shortly after making his league debut with Ajax, Maduro won his first cap for the Netherlands on 26 March 2005, in a 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Romania. He was picked for the final squad-of-23 by national team manager Marco van Basten – also his coach in Ajax's youth system – appearing four minutes in the 0–0 group stage draw against Argentina in an eventual round-of-16 exit.

A Dutch international in the 2000s, Maduro represented the country at the 2006 World Cup.

Hedwiges Eduard Martinus Maduro (born 13 February 1985) is a Dutch former footballer. Mainly a defensive midfielder he could also operate as a central defender, where he started his career at Ajax at the age of 19.